


BAZOOKA, with love

by Bundlino



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Cupids, Alternate Universe - Magic, Attempt at Humor, Bows & Arrows, Chan and Changbin are in a college dorm together, Cupids, Everyone has red hair, Except the humans, Forbidden Love, Jihyo makes an appearance for plot, Jisung Veterinary Assistant, M/M, Magic, Red String of Fate, Swearing, There's some Greek Mythology in there, i'll add more tags later it's 3am bye
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-09
Updated: 2020-07-09
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:27:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24088117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bundlino/pseuds/Bundlino
Summary: "What do you mean I can't love?" Minho asked, prying further, and hand on one hip."The Cupid System," Seungmin turned to him, replying in a beaming grin, "it prevents you from knowing love due to your biological makeup. No Cupid has ever experienced love."orMinho is born into the world as a Cupid tied down by rules and little knowledge of how he got there.
Relationships: Bang Chan/Lee Minho | Lee Know
Comments: 16
Kudos: 27





	1. Red - The Color of Love

**Author's Note:**

> hi there okay so this was inspired by a brazilian netflix show called "nobody's looking" if you've seen it then you might get some references, i highly recommend it i loved it <3

_Wake up,_ the voice whispered soothingly. 

Minho winced, squirming around with his head on a blue couch's soft pillow and feet propped up on the opposite side's armrest, not daring to come out of his dream of eternal, white nothingness. "No," he murmured, lips slightly in a pout. "I don't want to. It's too comfortable here."

The same voice drew a heavy sigh. _I said wake the fuck up. Don't make me pour the last of the lemonade from the Cupid's Lounge over your face._

Immediately waking in a cold sweat, Minho sat up from his position on the sofa in perfect posture. "Who? What, where?" he rambled in a daze, blurry vision focusing in on his surroundings. 

That voice that was talking to him earlier manifested itself into reality, because apparently it was a boy nonchalantly filing his fingernails on a blue club chair, legs crossed professionally. He had contrasting bright-red hair and a red tie to match all while showing off a weird costume of a white, short-sleeved shirt buttoned up to the top with a collar complemented by black trousers and dark, dressy shoes. To top it off, the most bizarre part, was a pair of white yet small wings sticking out from behind his back. "If you make me waste that lemonade, you'll end up getting on everyone's bad side, and not even Apollo himself can save you—" The boy finally looked up. "Oh good, you're up!"

"Where am I?" Minho turned to look behind himself, noticing that the piece of furniture he sat on stuck out like a sore thumb in the middle of the room as he scanned every corner, eventually completing his surveillance in a one-time circle. It appeared to be an ordinary office. Some abstract paintings on the wall, a soft rug on the floor, a desk by the windows accompanied by a flowerpot perched on the sill, and a bookshelf. There was a square, harper glass table top acting as a barrier between him and the stranger. The stranger still looked at him, which Minho returned the favor by eyeing his clothes up and down thoroughly, this time with real speculation and worry filling up his brain. "And who are you?" he questioned seriously, almost accusingly, narrowing his brows in blatant distrust.

"Oh calm down, would you?" the red-haired boy easily dismissed, flinging the emery board nail filer to his backside and into a tiny trashcan that wasn't noticeable before. Now resting both hands on his knee, he simply smiled. "You're a heavy sleeper, you know? I've been trying to wake you for the last half of an hour." The boy tilted his head, rather amused. "Did you know you sound like an alien? I swore we were having about five different conversations at one point, though you technically weren't conscious yet. Could have fooled me."

"Half an hour? Alien? What are you talking about?" Minho shook his head in disbelief, finally grasping his state of awareness. "Let me ask a second time," his voice grew dangerously low, ready to fight for his life, "Who are you?"

"My, that's quite the attitude, wouldn't you agree?" The redhead's smile gradually formed into an unimpressed scowl. "I do hope you know who you're dealing with," he got up from his chair, taking one step forward. "It would be a shame to have a rookie make enemies on their first day of the job." As he drew closer, the atmosphere tensed dramatically. The air felt thick, and Minho felt an impending doom deep within his bones. Red drew closer, and closer, and closer until the boy was super close to his face, leading to Minho unknowingly leaning against the back pillows of the couch, scared of what comes next. "I'm Yang Jeongin, oldest Cupid of District 5511, as well as your worst nightmare. Do you know what that means?"

Minho gulped, feeling a bead of sweat drip down his forehead. "N—No..." He closed his eyeballs shut. 

A moment's silence. Then, a reappearing smile. "It means I'm your co-worker." Jeongin pulled back, bursting into a fit of laughter. "Welcome to Hell, hope you enjoy your stay."

Opening his eyes wide, Minho stared at the smaller boy wiping a tear away from his eyelashes once he was done cracking up. "Wait, seriously? I'm in Hell?"

"No, no. It was a mere joke I've always wanted to use given the opportunity. Although the part about being your co-worker, that part is true," he insisted. "This is one of the Cupid Workplaces of the World, each District has one. They're designed to give us Cupids a place to store paperwork on all the Humans we watch over. Humans are really fragile and perishable beings, so it's in our interests to guide them while we can. Oh, and Workplaces are also where Cupids get our Daily Assignment Orders from, or DAOs for short."

Minho squinted at nothing, trying to process everything. "So you're... Cupid?" He shook his head again, visibly confused. "You said _us_. What do you mean, _we?_ There are more of you? I thought there is only one Cupid?"

"With all that God and Goddess drama?" He scoffed. "As if! Do you really think one Cupid is capable of single-handedly doing their job? There's a lot of people on Earth, you know. I'm amazing, but not _that_ amazing." 

"At least you're humble."

"Thank you," Jeongin put a hand over his heart, as if he were deeply touched by the words.

"I was being sarcastic," Minho rolled his eyes. "Also, why don't I know who I am? How did I get here?"

"That's normal. Don't worry, you get used to it." He sat down next to Minho on the couch, patting his lap. "No one remembers how they got here, or who they were before. That's because Cupids didn't exist before their current lives. I know it feels like you had a past life, but those are just fragments of embedded knowledge. Eventually you'll find that your brain puzzles together bits of life's information here and there, so you can understand and adapt to things better. But the reality is that Cupids simply... appear when the world needs them most. Like Angels. Excepts we're not Angels."

It took a couple seconds, but the surprised expression on Minho's face quickly faded into acceptance. He received that sudden truth of not having a past life surprisingly well. Still, there was something else bothering him. Chuckling softly, there was an awkwardness. "That's funny," he whispered.

"What's funny?" Jeongin asked while rubbing Minho's back in an act of comfort. 

"It's almost like you're implying I'm a Cupid. But you don't know anything about me?"

Jeongin looked at him, sadness bouncing off his pupils. "I know it's a lot to take in."

"What?" Not just long ago, this Jeongin person was spouting foul words at him, then he intimidated him, laughed in his face, and now he is showing pity. This wide range of an emotional roller coaster, Minho decided, had run its course. "Are you a tsundere? Is that your character type in this virtual game?"

Jeongin squeezed at Minho's thigh with an incredible vice grip, making it sting. "Shut up."

"Okay, okay, that definitely is real pain," Minho confirmed before swatting away Jeongin's arm. He sighed, still confused at all that was happening so fast. "This is... real."

"Lee Minho," Jeongin's words resonated through the fabric of space and time metaphorically, sending a small chill through Minho's body. "That is your real name. You do exist, right here and right now." 

Minho clung onto Jeongin's arm desperately. "Who told you that name? How do you know?" 

Jeongin smiled warmly, like if he predicted he would say that. "It says so right here on your name tag." He pointed next to Minho's red tie, touching the name imprinted on the pin that hung from the similar white shirt. "And yes, you are a Cupid. When we are first born, our wings are numb. It's rather difficult to even notice when you're gathering your thoughts and finally awakening truly." He stood up, pulling away from the newborn Cupid. "Try stretching your back now."

Doing as told, Minho cautiously extended his arms upwards, pulling on his muscles. Suddenly, something flapped stemming from his shoulder blades, startling him. "What the?" Upon discovery, he rapidly found it to be true. Small, white wings spread out beautifully, each no bigger than the lengths of his forearm. He looked up at Jeongin, still doubting the circumstances. "These aren't fake, are they? Did you glue these on?"

"Oh come on, Lee Minho."

The same chill coursed through his very soul, awakening something hidden within. He clutched at his heart, which was beating joyously. "Why does that keep happening?"

"You can feel it, can't you? The powers running through your veins. What you are meant to be. What you are meant to become."

He pulled on his wings for good measure. No pain. However, the wings really would not slip off at all. "Wow, those are really stuck on there. You used super glue gel, I take it?"

Jeongin ignored him. "There are a few rules I should explain to you before you get started."

"Rules?"

He nodded, continuing. "There's only a couple, but we must adhere to them to maintain peace and order. They are the Four Rules."

"Who is in charge here? Can't I speak to the boss? Apollo, you said earlier? Maybe get me in touch with Goddess Aphrodite, or someone else? What is she, like our relative or something?"

"No, Cupids are beings born outside the physical bond. Similar to how Humans also just exist. And unfortunately for you, Aphrodite and the others are very busy. You can always make an appointment, but they've been on lunch break for, well... since the planet was born."

"So they quit? That bites. Shouldn't they be doing their job? Why do we have to do it for them, whatever it is we even do? Why do I have to do anything?"

"Rule number one, do not question the Goddesses, nor the Gods."

"You can't be serious—"

"Rule number two, Cupids have the ability to turn invisible to Humans. Never reveal yourself to a Human. They should never know that we exist."

Minho rose a brow. "Why not?"

"Because it could have devastating consequences. Noble work is invisible. Anymore concerns?"

"Yeah—"

"No? Okay. Rule number three, always follow the red string of fate while doing your Daily Assignment Orders. No questions asked. Our bosses know best, after all." 

"Are all Cupids like this?"

Jeongin ignored him. "Rule number four, never, and I repeat never, do someone else's DAO. It's strictly prohibited."

Yawning, Minho unintentionally looked disrespectful. "Sorry. Is there more?"

"Actually, yes." Jeongin walked over to the bookshelf and handed him a heavy hardcover book. "Before you leave, make sure you read all 4,322 pages of the Brief Manual of Humanity. Luckily for you, Cupids have the ability to speed-read to easily grasp and retain information. It's a quick breeze, really."

"No one likes a mentor who assigns homework on the first day," Minho mumbled under his breath. 

"What was that?"

Minho flipped to the first page. "Nothing." Without even trying, his eyes began to almost fast forward in time, traveling from one end of the page to the other in flashes of pupil dilation, turning each sheet of typed paper like it were child's play. In a little over a minute, he was finished. "Ouch," he set the book down on the sofa, blinking once and then twice. "My head hurts."

"Ah yes, that would be the side effect. It will go away soon," he grabbed Minho's arm. "Come with me," he said as he guided him to the office's exit.

Once he turned the knob and went through the door, a whole new world opened up to Minho. The office connected to the inside of a huge warehouse-looking building, neatly painted in half-peach and half-green colors. A smooth concrete ground had lines of hundreds of large podiums as if it were a big classroom, accompanied by hundreds of red-haired workers matching in their uniforms and wings. Or should he say, Cupids. Some were pulling carts filled with large stacks of folders and paperwork, some other Cupids were walking around by their fellow co-workers' podium areas with clipboards and writing things down. "So," he huffed out, "this is all an elaborate costume party, right? It's a prank?" He pulled away from Jeongin's grasp. "Am I being pranked?"

"No, you aren't being pranked. You know this is real, you feel it in your gut." He took out a hand mirror from one of the nearby podiums, showing it to Minho's face. 

Minho's hair was red! His hair was a fiery red! "Fuc—" He backed away from all of it. He backed away so much that he hit the wall behind him, knocking a large whiteboard down in the process. "Oh, shi— I'm so sorry."

In that moment, all the red-haired workers, meaning every person in the building, stopped their task at hand and looked in his direction. All the eyes on him were intimidating, and he could just tell he was not suitable for this occupation. "Someone get Felix!" a random Cupid with a clipboard shouted, walking away to resume their duty. Other Cupids, dozens at a time, eventually did the same, returning to their tasks. 

In the very front of the warehouse, which was on the opposite side of where they currently were, a freckled boy ran up to him, taking his sweet time to get there. "Hey!" This Felix person finally grabbed Minho's hand, shaking it excitedly and overdramatically. "It's so good to see you! What a fortuitous surprise! Today is very special! We're all very happy that you're here!" Felix gestured to the wide-open warehouse, failing to get any of his colleagues' attention. "Anyway, welcome!" he shouted extra loud this time. As a result, the warehouse filled with equally loud rounds of clapping, congratulating Minho on his arrival. "It's been about 300 years since the higher-ups last created a Cupid!" 

Oddly enough, all the overexcitedness from Felix's handshake calmed Minho down a bit. "Thank you? I don't know what to say."

"Don't you worry, nothing needs to be said! I'm Felix. I'm the supervisor of District 5511, and I'm here to welcome you warmly, uh," he looked at Minho's name tag, "Lee Minho!" The freckles on Felix's face sparkled slightly in certain lighting. "Follow me, I'll show you around."

As Jeongin went back to his work area, Minho let himself be guided around by the supervisor to a strange device situated in a corner of the warehouse. It was large, cylinder in shape, and had a black screen with green font every time it computed something. Almost like a giant computer double the size of the supervisor, but it had tubes connecting to a back room. "What is this?"

"This is the Daily Assignment Order machine! It's how the deities communicate with us." 

"Machine? That communicates?" Minho blinked, trying incredibly hard to not point out it just looked like a basic computer variation. It was just big and slightly futuristic, missing a keyboard and instead of a mouse it had a lever. 

"Yes," Felix answered. "Every District has one. It's designed to give two names every couple minutes. One is the name of a Cupid, and the other is the name of a Human. The Cupid then has the mission to," Felix winked, "you know." 

"No, I don't know. Please, elaborate," Minho found this entertaining but wanted the supervisor to spell it out for him as clearly as possible. Just because. 

"You know," Felix wiggled his eyebrows, "what Cupids do." 

"And what exactly do Cupids do?" he asked innocently. "Remember, I'm a rookie. You have to explain these things, or else I won't get it."

"Well, how do I explain this?" There was a giggle coming from him. "The Daily Assignment Order machine is meant to faciliate true love. Each person has an invisible red string of fate wrapped around on their index finger, and it connects to their true love's index finger. Our job, as Cupids, is to help give them a gentle push in the right direction because we are the only ones that can see it when given the order. That's when we, you know, shoot the arrows."

"And where exactly do Cupids shoot the arrows?" Faking ignorance was truly a hobby.

Felix giggled again. "Oh, you know, on the behind. Some people prefer to call it the derrière. On the buttocks, or the bum. Right there, the gluteus maximus. The cheek. The _ass_."

"I understand now, thank you for that enlightenment," he nodded.

"While I'm at it, much to popular belief, we don't always get every Human. There just isn't enough of us to go around. Sometimes love dies out, even if it was real in the moment. Sometimes things don't work out. Sometimes true love changes. Life happens. Love is a fragile and complicated thing." 

Somehow, that made sense to Minho. Rather than responding verbally, he nodded empathetically, taking in every word to heart.

"After the shooting is finished, you come back here. You fill out a report at your assigned podium, drop it off at my front desk," Felix gestured to the front of the warehouse where he originally was, indicating where his front desk is that faced all the podiums, "and then Jeongin will file it away in the Storage Room." He points to one of the many dozens of doors of the warehouse, signalling that the specific one he is pointing at is the Storage Room. "You know Jeongin, right?"

"Unfortunately."

Suddenly, Jeongin appeared out of no where with a clipboard. "You called, sir?"

"Yes," Felix hummed, "You will be in charge of training this young Cupid here. Please do so with great care."

"Of course," Jeongin replied, leaving as soon as he appeared. 

"Now," Felix said, "Let me show you the other spots." He dragged Minho along by the arm again, this time into one of the rooms. Behind the door was a huge gymnasium that connected to the warehouse. There must have been some weird magic going on, Minho figured, but still carried on listening to his supervisor's lecture. "Here is the room for exercise. Exercise is immensely important, you wanna know why?"

"Why?"

"Because sometimes your mission involves a lot of walking, running, sometimes crawling in underground sewers, I really hope that doesn't happen to you by the way, and even scouting while standing for long hours at a time. Not to mention if you have to cross roads with traffic, and other things, and so on, and so on, and so forth. It will vary, trust me. It's harder than it seems." He guided Minho through the empty gym, passing the obstacle course full of hurdles and mid-air jump hoops and target practice and even punching bags and eventually passing an indoor swimming pool. 

He wondered why a Cupid would ever need to learn swimming. "Say, Felix, I have a question."

"Fire away," he gleefully was open to almost anything the other had to throw at him. 

"Why can't I just fly? That's possible, right?"

Felix pursed his lips. "Not exactly, little youngling. These wings," he fluttered his own wings to show off, "are more of an identity than anything else, really. Think of it like a tail. Why do some creatures even need them, right?"

"So then, we can't fly at all? That's a total bummer."

"It's more like a symbolic gift, if you will. We have to make sure we take care of them, or who knows what might happen."

After the tour was over, it was recommended for Minho to wait patiently at his podium if he ever got called on a mission. So he did exactly that, standing idly, bored and looking around. On his respective podium was an empty folder and empty clipboard, each with a pen in black ink. Not even a minute into his shift, there was a nudge at his ribcage. To his left was a red-haired boy, which obviously at this point they were all red-haired, but this boy wore glasses and had a curious expression worn on his face. 

"Hey, you're Lee Minho, the new guy, right?"

"Yes? Who wants to know?"

The boy whispered happily with his friend assigned to the podium directly in front of him. "See, I told you, Hyunjin!"

Minho squinted, reading both of their name tags. _Seungmin and Hyunjin._

"Don't worry new guy, I got your back," Hyunjin boldly proclaimed. 

And somehow, Minho felt like this was the start of his descension down a spiral of chaos.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> did i write this just so we could have red minho? kind of, yes, but also saturdays are my weekly posting days and i needed something for self-validation so..
> 
> i know i have a lot of fics as a work in progress but i promise i dont plan on making this one that long
> 
> please do comment if you enjoyed it so far, and i hope everyone has a good day !


	2. Gold - The Color of Illumination

"If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask." Hyunjin twirled his pen around his fingers and continued to jot some more words down on his paper. The wings on his back flapped slightly. If one wasn't paying attention they could have missed it. 

As Hyunjin worked from his podium diagonally across Minho, it probably wouldn't hurt to ask. "Are you filling out a report?" he asked Hyunjin.

Seungmin put his writing utensil down, undeniably excited at the sudden interest from the newbie. "Do you want us to show you how to do it? It's one of the more easy parts of all this."

Minho twiddled his thumbs, looking at his own empty work area. Then, he looked elsewhere, noticing all the other Cupids diligently writing away or sorting through documents and even putting them on Felix's desk up at the front. Some other Cupids entered or came out of certain doors, out of which the warehouse had many. Finally, he faced back towards Seungmin, trying to find a possible excuse to get out of this but not coming up with one on the spot. "Um, sure."

He didn't need to tell him twice as Seungmin was already grabbing his sheet of paper and setting it down on Minho's podium to explain, intruding on his personal space. "These are our assignment reports!" Hyunjin, somehow, was next to Minho's other side as well. "Every Cupid is responsible for detailing all the important events that take place while they are on their Daily Assignment Order. Such as, where and when the true love shot happens. If the Human saw their true love. What the Human was doing, and other personal stuff. It needs to be neat and concise."

"No longer than a page," Hyunjin added.

"Yes, no longer than a page. We don't want to clog up the Archives back in the Storage Room," Seungmin chuckled.

"The Archives? That sounds fancy," Minho admitted.

"Jeongin is in charge of that," Hyunjin pointed to the other side of the warehouse where Jeongin was located at his podium doing his work. "So for instance, let's say you go on your first DAO, right? You write down what happened, then it needs to get stamped and approved by Felix."

"Felix reads all our assignments reports," Seungmin chirped. "Then he passes it on to Jeongin."

"Right, and Jeongin files it away in the Archives. All Cupids have access to it if they want to look up certain information on a Human to help with their DAOs."

Minho glanced over at Jeongin. That definitely was a lot of work for one person. But he also remembered what he was told when he awakened. "How old is Jeongin, anyway? He looks younger than all of us."

"12,456 years old to be precise!" Seungmin happily answered. "He just had a birthday."

Nearly fainting at the number, Minho's legs were close to giving out on him. "Th—That much? That's several lifetimes."

Hyunjin nodded, crossing his arms. "Only several generations spanning multiple millenniums. He's the oldest Cupid here, so we should all show some respect."

"The older you are, the more powerful a Cupid tends to be. Although I guess that's more of an experience thing, rather than an actual factor of age." Seungmin slapped down on Minho's back in a friendly way. "I'm sure you'll get there in time the more orders you get assigned on."

"So let me see if I understand," Minho blinked slowly. "If Jeongin is over 12,000 years old, then in comparison that pretty much means I am...?"

"A baby!" Hyunjin cooed, pinching his cheeks. "You're so cute. Still naive. But cute."

"Don't worry too much about it," Seungmin offered. "Age is just a social construct. In all honesty, how old you are doesn't matter to Cupids as we're all equal here. No one is better than anyone else, unless we're talking skill. In that case then, you're probably kind of bad."

"Exactly!" Hyunjin agreed. "Very bad."

Minho glared. "I might be a baby when it comes to power, but I can still kick your asses in a fist fight."

Seungmin chuckled at him, directly to his face. "That's fair. You see, they grow up so fast."

"Forget about that. Look, about the nonexistence of the age hierarchy, if that's true," Minho cut in, looking around cautiously before lowering his voice to a whisper, "Then why are majority of the Cupids indifferent to my arrival? That kind of stings, you know."

Hyunjin gave Seungmin a knowing look, almost asking for permission so his friend could give him the green light, before wrapping an arm around Minho to whisper in his ear. "To tell you the truth, we were all actually very excited when you materialized into our warehouse. You could have been born into another District, but we were lucky enough for you to be in ours. Some of the other Cupids even carried you and let you rest on the couch. The thing is: Humans were only at a population of 600 million around 300 years ago. Now the number has skyrocketed to over ten times that amount. Some co-workers just may have been a little disappointed is all because we were expecting more than one Cupid. Just give them some time to process and they'll warm up to you. You can trust me! Hope that explains it."

Minho's mouth slightly widened in shock. "Wow," he breathed deeply, to take it all in. "That's a lot to take in." He looked down at his feet awkwardly, then suddenly his head snapped back up. "Do you Cupids always info dump on the newcomers, by the way?"

Seungmin patted Minho's shoulders and smiled at him. "Maybe." It did comfort him a little, actually.

The three of them decided to get back to work. (Except Minho, since he still had nothing to do.) He watched the clock tick by agonizingly slow. He would watch the big hand of the clock go around in circles, and around, and around. And he kept a close eye on the small hand. 

One hour.

Two hours.

Three hours.

Minho slammed his head down on his podium, whining, "This is the most boring job ever!"

The surrounding Cupids all gasped in response, everyone halting their activities. 

"Please, give me something to do!" he begged. He half-expected for someone to do just that. But then the whispers started.

_So loud..._

_Why did a Cupid like him materialize?_

_Is he really a Cupid?_

_Smells like trouble._

_Of course he's a Cupid, shut up._

_Don't be rude. Set a proper example._

So basically, it was safe to say he got mixed results from everyone's impression of him. Seungmin quietly walked over and whispered to him, "Why are you acting up, Minho? You're not exactly helping yourself much here."

Minho groaned, "I'm the baby, remember? I'm allowed to act up."

"I guess?" Seungmin facepalmed. "But there are limits to this—" Just before he was about to elaborate, Seungmin's eyes widened like if he looked death in the eye, so he quickly went back to his work station.

As Minho turned around to see what Seungmin was looking at, he almost screamed but covered his mouth in time. Jeongin was standing right behind him. How long was he there? "You scared me, Jeongin, how in the flying feather did you get there?"

Jeongin rose a brow, perplexed. "Who taught you how to curse already? Give me an age, any number! I know everyone's birth years here. Was it a Human? An address— Where do they live?"

He just shook his head. "Okay look. First of all, I made that up. I was being ironic. Second of all, that's a pretty ridiculous phrase, don't you think? Third of all, you're kind of scary. Fourth," he took a deep breath, "I haven't come into contact with any Humans! That's the problem here! I'm sooooo bored, Jeongin, please I'd rather just go watch grass die. Do we have that in here? Grass?"

"Well," Jeongin thought for a bit, "Not in here, no. Outdoors, yes."

"Fantastic. I'll just be on my way, then. If you would be so kind as to show me which door leads outside, I would be in your debt."

"No, no no." Jeongin poked a finger at his chest. "We can't have you wandering off on your own. You need constant supervision since you haven't been trained yet. I was too busy earlier sorting paperwork out, but I have time now."

"Oh?"

"Pack your bags, we're going to the gym."

Minho stared at him, blinking. "Jeongin, I don't have any bags."

"Then we're going to gym right away."

"I was just there."

"Well you're going again."

When they got to the gym, Jeongin made sure to lead him to the archery section with target practices. Approximately equal in width and length, there was a total of four target practices with a red circle directly in the middle. He tossed Minho a quiver that contained about ten arrows, each painted in gold. "Why are these golden? Seems a little too much. Don't tell me it's fake gold," he laughed.

"Colors are held in high regard within the Cupid community. Show some respect."

"Oh, sorry," he bowed slightly, apologizing. "What is the meaning of the color gold, then?"

"Not much. But it's useful for when you need to go into tunnels. The gold glows in the dark," he wiggled his eyebrows proudly. 

"Interesting."

"Here, catch this." Next up, the actual bow was tossed into Minho's hands, which made him look at Jeongin confused. 

"What am I supposed to do with this?"

"You're supposed to dance with them."

"Dance with the arrows? Is that normal around here?"

"No, wise-ass. You're supposed to shoot them."

Minho held the bow amateurishly, not quite sure where to put one finger or the other. He figures it's probably better to work quickly under Jeongin's intense stare, but then again he wasn't exactly an archer. "Would you mind showing me how? Or am I supposed to figure this out myself?"

"Back in my day, I did it myself."

"Odd flex, but alright old man. Help me out before I hurt someone or even myself. I didn't take Cupid courses beforehand, my bad."

Jeongin sighed, groaning. "You don't make this job easy at all. Okay so, for starters, there's more than one way to hold a Cupid's bow. Which is your dominant hand?"

"I'm ambidextrous, so both I guess."

Jeongin stared at him. "Wow, this is already complicated," he analyzed, "I've never met a Cupid like you. You're really an... oddball. Anyway, let's just skip that step. In your case, your hand placement doesn't matter as much. Hold your preferred hand in a position that's natural, relaxed, and loose. But not too loose to the point you don't have control. At the same time, you can't be too stiff as it'll affect the arrow's trajectory. Even the slightest bit of moving can turn its course completely. It's important you understand and master how to grasp the bow."

"Got it."

"Okay so after that, there's about ten more steps. Some include posture, proper technique, breathing exercises, calculated vision, how you let go of the arrow, and even noticing subtle changes in the friction of wind. It will take time, but you need to get adjusted to the—"

This all sounded incredibly boring and tedious. As Jeongin was talking, Minho rolled his eyes and ignored everything, some words going in one ear and out the other. However, he now more or less understands the gist of the basics. Without so much as really trying, he took a random arrow and placed it near the string and shot it. It spewed out of his hand rapidly, landing directly onto the bullseye and piercing through the target practice board itself. He glanced back at Jeongin, who almost dropped his jaw to the floor in utter shock. "Like that?"

The older Cupid started sweating. "Um, yeah. Beginner's luck."

"I guess so," Minho shrugged. He took out three more golden arrows, firing them all at once. There was something weird about it, it was like much thinking wasn't required for him. His body just automatically reacted, as if he just imagined the arrow locking onto its destination in his head and it translated into real life. The three arrows all beautifully shot out, not dipping or curving even once. Each tip landed and broke through all of the other target practices' bullseyes. "Hey, this isn't so bad. I can get used to this." By the time he looked at Jeongin, the older was practically collapsing to his knees on the floor. "Are you okay, Jeongin?"

"Yeah, I just, I..." He kept gawking at targets. "This is just a little unreal. You're a fast learner. I didn't even shoot an arrow myself to properly show you an example."

"So does this mean I'm done training? I'd rather go out there and get experience. Do actual work, see things for myself. Not whatever this is."

Jeongin blurted out, "Not so fast! Let's try this again with some actual wind!" Quickly, he went over to a closet room by the swimming pool. 

Minho laughed jokingly, "What? Do you have an extremely large fan hidden in that tiny closet?"

"Maybe," the more experienced Cupid shouted from somewhere deep in the abyss of the closet. It was pretty dark in there. Minho waited a few seconds, hearing some shuffling and things falling here and there. And then yes, actually, Jeongin wheeled out a gigantic indoor metal fan machine that honestly didn't seem like it could fit through the door but somehow did. Minho suspected there must have been magic involved there, or his eyes were playing tricks on him. 

"Oh."

"Haven't used this bad boy in ages," he slapped down on the fan machine that looked rusted and probably was about to fall over itself if you hit it just right. "Okay, so take your remaining arrows. How many do you have left? Like six?"

"Yup," Minho took them out, holding them in his hands. 

"Okay, so when I turn this thing on I want you to shoot the rest of them. Even if you think it's hard, I need you to try. I'll determine whether you're done training based on the results. Sound fair?"

"Sounds fair."

"Okay." Jeongin nodded, signaling he was ready. With a flick of a switch, the high-velocity fan turned its big blades and creating a small pick-up of wind that slowly increased more by the moment. 

"Woah." Before he could even process, Minho was suddenly being faced with an overwhelming gust that was pulling back at his eyes, making him squint. He was starting to lose his footing as his whole body began to slide backwards against the force, and his wings only made the problem worse as they continuously struggled to stand their ground. His hair fluttered wildly in every direction. He dodged his head to the side a bit as his own red tie almost smacked him in the face. Even his cheeks began flapping comically against the respectable foe that was this ancient fan structure. But he had to try. Slowly, inch by inch, he willed his hands to set up the arrows, proceeding to line them up close together, and once he felt ready Minho let them all release, allowing the string to propel them forward. Six arrows, with almost no training. Yet all six punched through the indoor tornado wrecking havoc, traveling from one end of the gymnasium to the other. "Goooooooo!"

The end outcome was six golden arrows breaking through the targets. Three of them actually landed on the bullseyes, splitting the former arrows in half that they didn't previously bother to take out. Jeongin flicked the switch off, letting the air die down. "You hit all of them! I can't believe it... How did you— ?"

"So does this mean I'm ready to go on my first mission!?" Minho jumped up and down happily, probably even overjoyed, with the biggest smile on his face. So this was what it was like to be a Cupid.

"No! It took me at least two months before I even got my first task! No one has ever gotten their first DAO on the spot like that."

The universe itself must have been in Minho's favor, because two days later the computer gave him his first Daily Assignment Order. And Jeongin was assigned to supervise him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> umm, sorry it took me a while but i'm working on a bunch of stories at the same time. ANYWAY, i just found out the show i'm basing this cupid fic off of was cancelled LOL so that means we will be trailing off course of the original a lot (i already have my own ending dont worry) so this should be.... interesting, we'll see where it goes from here~


	3. Blue - The Color of Stability

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im going to be honest i didn't think i would get this far but here we are, also i've literally never read a string of fate fic/au so i have no idea what im doing but anyway i wrote this a couple days ago and i also finished chapter 3 of my pirate fic yesterday which i shall post next week same day & time so im going to pat myself on the back and say im ahead of the game for a bit, maybe if i publicly post this note section it will motivate me to write more and make me stay ahead of my stories but no promises ahahahaa *faints dramatically*

A pair of annoyed hands dropped a stack of papers onto Minho's podium, startling him awake from his afternoon session of zoning out. He isn't exactly sure how a pair of hands can be described as _annoyed,_ but it just gave off that vibe. 

The Cupid looking down on him stood firm. Professionally, one could even say. Jeongin seemed irritated, but it rarely shows through his appearance.

It shows through his actions.

"Minho, I need you to read through all these papers. But make it quick."

Taking a lazy glance at the stack, this is easily about fifty pages. Something in his mind told him it is unmistakably forty-nine. It must have been some mysterious new power to guess the number of items in front of a Cupid's sight that he didn't know he previously had. Or maybe it isn't. It's kind of hard to tell what is a power and what isn't lately. Just yesterday after some arrow target practice he discovered the ability to turn invisible by mistake. It happened near the indoor pool and he coincidentally had the sudden inner urge to check out his reflection. So when he walked close to the water's edge, there was some panicking at first. 

Also, some reasonable screaming. That was when Felix came rushing in to the gym to check things out. Felix wasn't angry. If anything, he was there to reassure Minho that it's a natural process. He learned it takes some getting used to. A Cupid turning invisible for the first time is like a baby's first steps, as was explained. A huge achievement. 

Remembering back, it actually fell under rule number two wherein Cupids have the ability to turn invisible to Humans. Felix had further elaborated that since Humans can see reflections, this also applied to mirrors, puddles of rain, and... pools. As well as other stuff. It just so happened to be Minho's first time experiencing it personally. 

Felix grabbed Minho's hand in that moment for two reasons. One of them being comfort. The other being to show Minho that his body is still actually visible and not at all gone, so when Minho saw his own hand he was very relieved. The only thing affected in the gym was the swimming pool. 

Apparently Cupids can always see each other and themselves, even if invisibility is switched on some way or another. The important thing was that Humans could not, and that was how Cupids managed to stay a secret since the dawn of time. 

Fast forward to today, and it seems like Jeongin is bothered by something. Now that he thought about it, he didn't clearly see Jeongin's reaction to him turning invisible the other day since Minho himself was too busy panicking at the sudden onset of new ability and then being guided by Felix. 

When Jeongin rose a brow impatiently, Minho could just tell that same brow is also annoyed. It just had that vibe, again. "Are you going to just zone off more, or are you going to read them?"

"Well, a simple greeting would have been nice. I may not be old, but I know you did simple stuff like say a _hello_ back in the day, grandpa. Did you forget fragments of humanity's history are all stored up in here?" Minho tapped the side of his head twice with his fingers. "In my noggin! Which, by the way, do you ever just stare at a word for too long and suddenly it loses all meaning to you because of the amount of times you've seen it? That's me with the concept of a noggin. I had to double check in a dictionary that Hyunjin let me borrow just to make sure the word existed, but then I found the definition of a phone which was outdated? And suddenly it was like my own brain cells deep within me opened up a file cabinet on the history of phones. Weird metaphor, I know. But then that got me thinking! Why don't Cupids use phones? I'm sure it would speed up progress. Innovate the system and stuff. I heard you file documents away in the Archives. Wouldn't a system database be easier than the Archives?"

In the corner of Minho's eye, he could suddenly see Seungmin and Hyunjin stopping their pens moving. Their ears perked up as if they were shocked to hear such words, yet they continued to listen. Jeongin, especially, is not so pleased. 

"No, absolutely not."

That did not go quite as expected. "Oh, I see." Except he didn't see what he meant, really. "But what do you mean by that specifically? No as in you didn't forget the fragmented pieces of history are stored in a Cupid's brain?" Minho leaned in a bit, upholding his chin on the podium with a palm of his hand. "No as in you don't stare at words long enough until you forget their meaning, or?"

"The Archives are a foundation of the Cupid System. That's how it has always been, and that's how it shall continue to be. To even suggest _innovating_ it is against rule number one! Under no circumstances will that ever happen! Also, it appears that your quest for knowledge the past two days has already tainted your ego so greatly, allowing you to feel that you can speak such words of disrespect."

"Are you suggesting I'm going through a rebellious phase? Is it because I called you grandpa? I thought we were all equals here."

"Or maybe you were always like this," Jeongin huffed through his teeth. "We are equals, me and you and everyone here. Still, you are expected to follow the rules and tend to your duties on a daily basis."

Minho was taken aback. "So we're equals, but we're also not equals. That's what you're saying?" 

By this point, Seungmin and Hyunjin weren't even pretending to be working anymore as they completely shifted their undivided attention towards Minho and Jeongin right next to their work areas. "All Cupids are equals just like it has always been," Jeongin answered.

There is this burning question within Minho. This unquenchable curiosity that cannot be put out the more time he spends in the warehouse. He doesn't know why his mouth is talking faster than his brain can think, but at the same time he has the desire to push boundaries. To press people's buttons. "That's not in the rules, though?"

The whole warehouse seems acutely aware of this conversation, but most prefer to mind their business. "Minho, we do not have time for games."

"But it's not in the rules," he repeated. "Rule number one arguably framed the groundwork, it states we do not question our bosses, right? The big bosses," Minho added that last part in to carefully clarify. "Rule number two, we don't interact with Humans. Does that mean Cupids think of themselves as superior? And why? Then we have rule number three, which is to follow the red string of fate to accomplish true love, but how can true love exist if it can change at the drop of a hat? Isn't that a contradiction? Rule four says to do your own Daily Assignment Order, but none of these suggest we're equal, especially since we have a hierarchy going on in the warehouse. Technically you supervise me, Jeongin. That power dynamic would mean you're above me in authority. In turn, Felix supervises you. But if I remember correctly you have more tasks to take care of than him since you manage the Archives and look after me, which probably takes up your whole day. Felix is nice and all, but quite frankly all he does is give a stamp on our reports. So how can he be considered equal to you if you're putting in more effort? Wouldn't that be taking advantage of your time?"

When the final words left his mouth, a storm started kicking up in everyone's thoughts like golden clockwork gears slowly kick-starting after a lifetime's lack of use. Minho's questions are blunt and painful, but they have some undeniable truth to them. It's scary. Change is scary. All it takes is one person to start a domino effect. Faint sounds of whispers first start to creep in from the other side of the warehouse. And then murmurs erupt louder and louder. Soon enough it gets everyone talking in a matter of seconds. Pens stopped moving altogether. Meanwhile Hyunjin and Seungmin appeared to have their jaws dropping in awe. It's hard to tell what is on their mind. 

Jeongin is visibly flustered as Minho keeps catching him off guard repeatedly. "Enough, enough!" 

His shout fills the whole building, and soon enough the talking comes to a halt because of it. His voice has a commanding aura to it, one that has a bright leadership quality that people can follow comfortably but is also not too demanding. It takes a few moments, but the environment does get back to normal. Back to the steady rhythm of pen on paper.

Continuing, Jeongin still had an uncertain look hung over on his face. As if even he were beginning to question everything he worked for. "You're very strange. You ask a lot of questions. If you have any more I will simply refer you to rule number one. Never question the Goddesses and Gods. That includes how our warehouse works."

"I was just curious is all. I wasn't trying to—"

"End of discussion." Jeongin patted down the stack of papers still on the podium. "If you're finally done procrastinating, you have a big day ahead of you. These are samples of old assignment reports I managed to fetch for you. It's important that you read through them to get an idea of what to write about."

There is a bit of confusion bouncing off Minho's pupils. "So suddenly? What about my training?"

"It's not exactly so sudden. I would train you more myself, but there's no point if you already have everything figured out and hit the bullseye anyway." Jeongin took out a paper ticket from his pocket and set it next to the stack of assignment reports. "This came in earlier today. From the Daily Assignment Order machine. You got your first job. I'm not sure how, but—"

"What!? Why didn't you say so earlier?" Minho used his Cupid's power to speed-read. As he darts his eyes back and forth on the page, he reaches the end of the last sentence and throws off one sheet to the ground haphazardly. He does the same to the next paper, and the next, and the next. His mind absorbs every word like a sponge, watching every word closely and dissecting each paragraph's structure. The way in which past Cupids wrote their reports can best be referred to as _neat and concise but gets the point across_. This all occurred in only a matter of three seconds. He is getting faster at reading than when he materialized on the first day. By the time he finished the whole stack, it looked like a tornado of papers had come through. It is just too easy. All forty-nine pages had been thoroughly read. "Done!"

The power of a Cupid is something not to underestimate, Minho soon took note in that instance.

Jeongin looks down at the mess of unorganized sheets on the floor. His eye twitches. In annoyance. It gives that vibe. Again.

The ticket sat there on the podium, calling out to Minho. Tempting him. Their Daily Assignment Order machine must have computed this just moments prior and spat out a ticket as a result. _So this is how Cupids get assigned_ , he thought. He has to admit, it is a little underwhelming. However, that doesn't mean he isn't happy. The ticket's outer edges are coated in a warm golden hue. The lettering is small and black but typed with importance. It made him feel important. Wanted. Needed. But this ticket is just that. A flimsy ticket. Yet it has the strange power to pull something deep within his heart. His chest feels warm. 

Being a Cupid is a job of warmth. He has not been alive for that long, but he figures this must have been the emotion of happiness. Of pride.

When Minho hesitantly picks up the ticket to read aloud, his fingers electrifying on contact. It isn't like a powerful zap, or a hurtful spark. 

It feels... right.

**Lee Minho, District 5511.**

It felt so weird to have his name on here. It's like he is officially one of the Cupids. But also not, because technically he hasn't started. Right below the typed letters is the name of the Human he must shoot with a Cupid's arrow as well as an address.

Jeongin put a hand on Minho's shoulder. "Let's go, the faster we do it the better. Humans outnumber us, and you don't want to fall behind."

He started to drag him away by the arm. It's hard to believe. Minho is finally leaving the warehouse. He is actually going to get out. Jeongin and him came to a line of doors against one of the back walls of the warehouse, about twenty doors. There are so many, and Minho wonders which one is the real exit to the Humans. He would have attempted going through all of them in trial and error, but target practice did have a long schedule of keeping him occupied. 

"Do you feel it?" Jeongin asks.

Minho is not understanding. "Feel what?"

"The magic."

He waited a bit, trying to see what the older Cupid was talking about. He didn't really feel anything. He wonders if he is already failing the mission. "I don't follow what you're saying?"

"The inside of this building is filled with magic. In ways we cannot understand. In ways we cannot replicate. It's what makes the warehouses in each District so special. Whatever is behind these back doors is something that is constantly shifting and rotating, entirely different from the ones at the front. On one day, the first door can lead to the Cupid Lounge. On another day, that same door can lead you somewhere else. It can probably lead to other rooms in here. Or perhaps it can lead to portals in the Human realm. Destinations."

"Portals? You mean like... these doors can take you anywhere?"

"Not exactly. These doors can only take you to twenty locations, rooms included. Some are in the Human realm. Some are just extensions of the warehouse. A Cupid can usually just tell where each door goes with a simple look. Maybe not at first, but it will come to you eventually. Being a Cupid isn't an automatic thing, after all."

"So then... where are we heading to?"

"Our District is in Seoul. We aren't allowed in the other Districts, not that these doors go there, but Seoul is a big place anyway."

Jeongin trudged Minho along to the fourth door on the wall. Then they came to a standstill.

"Before we enter, we must turn invisible. Technically, I've been invisible for like the past five minutes. You need to do the same."

"Right... let me just turn that on real quick," Minho joked. When it came down to it, he could do anything if he set his mind to it. 

Minho closed his eyes. Turning invisible is relatively new to him, and while he is basically a genius at arrow shooting that doesn't mean he is good at everything. He was bound to have a flaw soon enough. Over the past day or so, he did try to turn invisible on more than one occasion, but he didn't think he would need to put it to use so fast. It's not like there is a manual for this ability. There was a history manual on Humans, but not this kind of stuff. Invisibility just randomly comes to Cupids at first, and then they slowly master it in a way that is unique to them. So he tried to think of turning invisible. 

To be invisible, one must become the invisible. One must think like an invisible. One must act like an invisible. 

But he didn't know how one acted like an invisible. Whatever that meant.

"Try not to think so hard about it," he could hear Jeongin say to him. 

With his eyes shut, it just felt like some sort of drifting. Like if Minho is drifting in an eternal abyss. Except he doesn't know what he is drifting for. It's not scary. It's kind of calming. It's like he can be with himself and his thoughts. 

Slowly, Minho took a huge breath in. He let the oxygen fill in his lungs for four seconds. He let it out. The air escaped his lips steadily and consistently for eight seconds. He could feel the tension in his body float away. If he was being honest he didn't even know it was there to begin with. His shut-tight eyes loosen a bit, and there is a noticeable difference in less strain of the muscles on his face. Minho's shoulders relaxed. His chest expanded. And retreated. And this cycle repeats once more. Through all these steps, it became clear that Cupid abilities stem from the mind. It's like willpower, sort of. He needs to be stable in checking himself. This is probably a good technique.

Probably.

"That's good, Minho. You're invisible now. You found your own way to maintain it. You're ready." Jeongin opens the door abruptly, pulling the younger Cupid along through it.

It catches him off guard. But he can feel the sensation. Sunlight hit Minho's face softly. He finally opens his eyes with the warmth gently radiating on his skin. Jeongin shut the door behind them, and Minho's mouth fell open in awe. There are wondrous cotton candy puffballs above. He wanted to eat them right away, but he doesn't know everything about the Human realm in great detail. Just general bits. Fragments of information start to pour into his mind once again. These puffballs gliding along are called clouds. And the portrait of blue right behind their outline is the sky. 

He can't describe the type of effect the sky has on him. It's different from being in the warehouse. 

Blue stretches far and wide, like if it's securely wrapping him in a big blanket. Like if everything will be okay. It's bringing him a different type of happiness than when he touched the golden ticket earlier. It's strange, but it's a new kind of enjoyment.

In this moment he learns that sky blue is peaceful. Relaxing. Reassuring.

Jeongin gently elbowed his rib cage, casually gesturing him to follow. "Come on."

Now that Minho is actually taking a good look around, his mind suddenly puzzled together where exactly they came out from. The door they had passed through is randomly situated against a basketball courtyard's wall, completely hidden somewhere in all the graffiti. The warehouse itself doesn't exist in the Human realm, much to his shock, because there is no actual building connected to the wall they walked through. It really is just a simple wall standing alone and nothing more. He guesses that's how portals work. 

Laughter echos in the nearby distance in what seems to be a friendly game of sport. A couple of teenagers are playing in teams, and the exciting sound of basketball bouncing on concrete resonates in his eardrums. Plenty of benches surround the perimeter. Some ways off are a walking trail and greenery, as well as thick trees and even families. 

It turns out this warehouse door cleverly covered in graffiti is near a park in Seoul.

Minho timidly walks close behind Jeongin as they maneuver around the running teens, sticking close to the outer edges of the courtyard. The ball slaps the ground and skillfully flies everywhere, jumping from one end to nearly hitting Jeongin head on. But to Minho's surprise, Jeongin merely steps to a side very casually, letting the ball skid passed. Jeongin didn't even flinch. It was like second nature. He must come here often. 

Jeongin looked back at him for a split second, only to to say, "Try not to get hit. You're invisible, but Humans can still run into you."

They finally exit the basketball court area by pushing through a gated fence's door, stepping on sidewalk and reaching a corner of a street. Directly in front of them is a busy intersection filled with numerous taxis and jaywalkers. 

Looking back to find a scared Minho, Jeongin tries not to laugh. "You okay there?"

Minho had been inwardly withdrawing his arms to his chest like a turtle, whether he knew it or not. There are a _lot_ more people than what he is used to, and trying to avoid every stranger within a close proximity is way harder than it sounds. Perhaps the obstacles and training courses back at the warehouse's gymnasium served a good purpose for times like these. He met Jeongin's gaze but didn't say anything in fear of blowing his cover.

"Oh, did I forget to mention you can talk? Yeah, that probably would have been a good thing to tell you first. Sorry, it's been a while since a new Cupid came around."

"What?" Minho whispered-yelled over the large crowd. "They can't see or hear us?"

"Nope. You could say invisibility's weakness is touch. Don't let them come into contact with you. It's also great if you don't touch Humans yourself, either. They get cold easily, so it's kind of a giveaway that you're in their presence."

The pedestrian street light turned green for them, signaling it was time to walk. Immediately, Jeongin held on tight to Minho's wrist and forced him across to the other side. It's probably best to not lose the new guy on his first mission. 

On the new street is a bus stop, and coincidentally a bus is just about to depart. Jeongin picked up the pace and hurried over, with Minho almost tripping over the bus's steps in the process. The bus doors had nearly closed on him, almost hitting his foot. Now, Jeongin and Minho make their way over, holding onto poles in the middle of the vehicle to keep their balance as it embarked, completely surrounded by Humans who are either sitting or standing. Mostly they're on their phones, others minding their business, some elderly even reading the newspapers.

"So this is public transportation! Woah," Minho's excitement unmistakably shined through, and Jeongin can tell the new Cupid is someone easily impressed judging by the wide smile and star-filled eyes.

"You like the city so far?"

He nodded enthusiastically, leaving no room for doubt. "Those ball-net games are kind of terrifying, I couldn't tell where it was going to hit next. But I could get used to this!" Minho looked around through the windows on the departed bus like a kid on a school field trip. He pointed to the top of a tall building in the next block over. "What's that!"

Following the finger, Jeongin squinted at the object. "That would be a billboard ad. They're everywhere, Minho."

"Oh, what about that?"

"That's just a restaurant," he took a second glance just to make sure. "I've had their special sandwich before, it's not that great. Would not recommend."

"And that over there?"

"It's just another bus. You're literally on one right now. Stop pretending you've never seen it before."

"How about that thing?"

"Minho, stop talking."

Suddenly Minho shifted his attention to the passengers on the bus. His eyes widened in excitement again. "Hey, another Cupid!" he happily called over to a girl sitting directly in front of him. She wore red hair with earphones in her ears, head resting on the window's glass. 

Jeongin almost has an out-of-body-experience moment for a split second due to sheer fear. It isn't the type of scared moment where the chances of getting hit in the face with a basketball is high. It's more like the scared moment of possibly triggering and letting a pandora's box escape out into the world. 

"Minho, no!" He pulls at his wrist, right before Minho got too close to start a conversation. Jeongin's hand flew to his chest, like if it were pounding one thousand times in the span of a blink. "That's not a Cupid. It's a Human. Sometimes Humans dye their hair red."

His mouth drew into the shape of a small circle in amazement. "They do that? Could have sworn she was one of us."

"Think of like the magic doors. Humans can't see those because their eyes can't detect it. But with time, you'll be able to detect magic. That includes magic within a Cupid. You won't make the same mistake again."

"Hmm," Minho hummed amusingly. "Got it."

Jeongin simply stared at him, not quite knowing how to respond. "I don't understand you."

"Understand me? In what way?" The tone that Minho used indicated to Jeongin that he really meant the question. 

"I don't know? It's like..." Jeongin shook his head in disbelief. "It's like you know everything complicated there is to know. Sometimes more than me. And then other times, it's the total opposite. You get eager and lively over the smallest things, like if they're new to you."

"That's because they're new to me."

"Well," that caught Jeongin off guard, "I guess that's true."

"It's not like I'm totally oblivious. I have self awareness, you know. Sometimes I just like to have fun."

"It's an odd side to you."

"It's still the same me," the new Cupid shrugged innocently. "You'll get used to it," he winked nonchalantly. 

"Don't ever do that again to my face."

"What?" Minho winked again. "This?"

"You aren't even doing it right. It just looks like you're blinking," he grimaced. "Are you sure you're the same person?"

As if to spite him, Minho attempted to look at his reflection in one of the windows. The reflection that didn't exist because he is invisible. "Yup, still me."

He shook his head again at the bad joke. "I seriously don't understand you."

Minho smiled from ear to ear. "If it's worth anything, I don't understand you either."

Jeongin scowls at the words. "That's... that's great, Minho."

"Is that sarcasm?"

"No, no it's not, not at all" he muses in a serious manner. "I just talk like this all the time."

"What about that sentence you just said? Is that sarcasm, too?"

"No."

"I think I've used sarcasm at least once. I'm pretty sure that was sarcasm."

They arrived to their destination. After Minho literally hops off the bus like he were the main character on a great adventure and not at all on a mission to use a pointed bow-weapon on someone's behind, Jeongin drags him right outside of a beautiful movie theater. 

The doors are painted in gold. Not literal gold, but gold paint, with wavy and fancy symbols on doorknobs. This felt like a great place for a date. 

"This is the place."

They enter only to find a humongous lobby. Way at the front is a countertop, and directly behind it are interesting machines. One of them pops, making yellow seeds explode into white fluffs. Another has blue and red slush. To the left of that, a soda machine. Below the countertop is a glass display encompassing a wide selection of candies. Chocolates and cherry-flavored reds and even different combinations of peanut butter or almond. To finish off, there's also a huge line. 

That figures.

But Minho's mouth is drooling regardless. 

Jeongin momentarily looked at him only to roll his eyes. "Come on, we're not here for that. You have a job, remember?" He pulls him once again to a side where an employee distributed golden tickets for cash. 

"Isn't that like our ticket?" Minho pointed out. "Do Humans have mission compute— I mean mission machines like we do?"

"Nope, ours are real. Not like these cheap knockoffs."

"So," Minho tilts his head to a side in naivety. "Are we going to buy a fake ticket to go see a movie?"

"No, we're Cupids. Duh," Jeongin answered like it's the most silliest of questions.

"What does that even mean..."

"It means we use stealth." He started to push Minho passed the ticket booth. 

"Wait, wait—"

"What is it now?"

"I want some of that pop stuff. Forgot what it's called. It's at the tip of my tongue. These fragments of information in my head are hard to sort out."

"Pop stuff?" Jeongin turned to look at the huge line behind them and then he glances at the food machines. "You mean popcorn?"

"Yes! That! Popcorn."

"Minho, I told you we can't break our stealth. We're on a mission here."

"You act like we're going to assassinate someone. Come on, live a little. What harm is there in purchasing a bag of delicious, buttery, juicy, salty—"

"No, Minho."

"You're right. That's not healthy. What if I asked for no butter?"

Jeongin facepalmed. 

"No? Okay. Maybe I could get a slush-thing-a-ma-bob."

"A slushie."

"I was close enough," Minho waved off the response calmly like a pesky fly. He tried to walk towards the waiting line for the food, but is stopped by Jeongin rushing and standing in front of his path while extending his arms out to block more of it.

"I said no!"

"Please, Jeonginnie," he groaned. He even used a nickname to get the point across. "I just want to try at least one thing. It's my first day out."

Jeongin's expression softened ever so slightly. Then, he groaned in retalation. "Damn it, fine!"

"Yes! Thank you!"

"But you can't buy it. People would get suspicious. Besides, you don't have any money on you."

"Oh." That was probably the first thing he should have thought of. "Then what do you suggest I do?"

"Just take it, I guess."

Minho dramatically gawked. "Are you suggesting I steal?"

"We're Cupids. Not Angels. We were literally just about to go into a movie theater for free, and you had no complaints there."

Laughing, Minho lightly slapped a hand onto Jeongin's shoulder. "Yeah, I know right?"

"I'm pretty sure this movie theater easily makes a lot of money in the span of a year. I don't think a missing bag of popcorn will really make a dent in that profit. They still pay their employees terribly, either way." Jeongin shrugs because it really is not his problem at this point. "Just take it."

"Jeongin..." Minho whispered unusually low. 

"What?"

He grinned brightly. "I'm really glad you're my mentor."

This flustered Jeongin incredibly much as he struggled to even spell out a syllable. "Just shut up and go already."

He doesn't have to tell him twice. Minho made his way over to the counter, unlocking the latch and slipping through the small side door at the very edge when no one is looking. There is only one employee here today. 

As he steps closer, the machines are in complete walking distance. However, he soon finds there is a problem. The space between the cash register and the machines directly behind it is way too small. There's a chance he could bump into the employee. And she is the only thing standing in his way from the prized possession of popcorn as she zigzagged back and forth between pushing the cash register and filling cups of soda. He carefully looked at the golden, shiny tag on her shirt that closely resembled his own bow and arrows. 

Ji... Jih...? Jihyo. Her name is Jihyo.

How he is supposed to get passed her is beyond him. There's just enough space. It's possible. But he needs a distraction. 

Minho looked over at Jeongin, who is farther away than he would like. Perhaps it would have been best to drag him into this somehow with him. And now that he actually got this far, he's wondering if a floating bag of popcorn could be a huge problem considering it's only him that is invisible, not the popcorn itself. He forgot to run this by Jeongin earlier. He stiffly waves over at his fellow Cupid to get his attention. Jeongin looks at him suspectly, but it's something. Minho takes that as acknowledgement and begins to mouth a sentence.

_What do I do?_

He could make out what seems like Jeongin rolling his eyes and mouthing back. _You wanted this, so you figure it out._

_Please, Jeongin? I need a distraction._

_No._

Well, he tried. Minho looks around the limited space to see if there's anything he can do to avoid both the cashier and the huge line of customer's eyes on him. 

To the side is a huge stack of cups. It's within reaching distance. Maybe he could push some over and make them fall. 

Except that'd be too suspicous. It wouldn't work. It's not like there's a breeze of air in here that randomly knocks over things. He could blame it on gravity, but gravity doesn't work that coincidentally. Unfortunately. And even if he did knock over the cups, he still needed a way around Jihyo. 

An option could be to unplug some machines, but then he thought it over and figured it's not enough of a distraction. It's not believable. Plus Jihyo could easily plug it back in.

He could pull a fire alarm. But then there would be no point if the popcorn just got soggy.

Also, pulling a fire alarm is just too obnoxious. 

Something less of a hassle would work. But still enough of a distraction.

He sees that Jihyo is reaching over for some bills in the cash register before closing it. "Here's your change, sir," her voice rings aloud.

Maybe that could work. 

Upon waiting for the next person in line, Minho notices it's a big order. Three bags of popcorn. Four cups of soda. One slushie. This could be his opportunity. Perfect! Jihyo begins preparing all the stuff, starting first with the cups. She walks over to where Minho is, and he begins to think this is a bad idea. He freezes in place to try and not make any sudden movements, even slowing down his breathing.

Jihyo stops moving suddenly. There's an odd look on her face that he can't quite figure out. It's almost like she's seeing through him. 

_Did I get exposed? How is that possible._

Just as abruptly, Jihyo shrugs and continues on with her task. She reached out for three cups, then heads back to the soda machine. With a click of some buttons, the machine lets the fizzy beverage cascade down and fill. Next to the soda machine is a pile of lids, which she uses to cap over the drinks. To finish off, she pulls out three wrapped straws from a small box. Moving onto the next task, she goes over to Minho's side once again. 

He freezes, as if he didn't have enough nerves already. 

This time Jihyo doesn't stop to look at him, only grabbing one more cup and pressing a button down on the slushie machine a few feet away. Another straw, and that's done. 

_Phew._ He's glad he didn't go with the push-cups-off-the-counter-to-make-them-fall option.

Lastly, she folds open some bags and scoops out enough popcorn for three. Now that she's done it, he knows exactly how to get popcorn.

This is his chance. 

Minho makes his way over to the cash register before Jihyo does with all the stuff that was prepped up. He moves his hand in front of the cash register to prevent it from opening with all the money inside. At the same time, Jihyo attempted to push a button on the device. It didn't open. 

"Huh? That's weird," she murmured. "It was working just a moment ago."

She attempted to press the button a few more times. Still, nothing happened. Because a certain someone is preventing it from doing anything.

Frustrated, Jihyo presses one more time with a lot more force. That's when Minho moves his hand out of the way while purposely hitting the bottom of the cash drawer in the process. As it slid out the money from its compartment, the bills shot out everywhere in a flurry, swirling mess. The lobby of the movie theater was quite literally raining money from a seemingly malfunctioning cash register. It all flew up and over the counter from the force that Minho hit the device with. Customers immediately scrambled in a stampede to pick up the cash all for themselves as it gently floats down on their side. Yelling and rowdiness ensued. A little kid accidently bumped into a tall guy, secretly yanking a bill out of his hand. A grandma even fought a couple people and won her money, rightfully so. Chaos was truly on full display.

In direct response, Jihyo hopped over the counter to ease the disorder. 

It worked. Quickly, Minho grabbed one of those stainless popcorn scoopers and greedily filled his popcorn to the top in its bag. If the popcorn isn't invisible, no one is really paying attention anyway! As he looked over to the mayhem that continued in the lobby, he jabbed a pointed finger into the air triumphantly. 

"Let them eat cake!" he shouts at the top of his lungs. 

By the time he ran back over to Jeongin, they made their way over and passed some other employees that were running to help stop the uproar. Jeongin pulled Minho along to the correct theater. "It's this one, like it said on your ticket's address." When they reached inside into the room, they spotted rows and rows and rows of seats. Luckily for them, it isn't packed at all. There is only one other couple there. 

"Where do we sit?" Minho asked, still attempting to get down from his little adrenaline rush of causing a scene. 

"I like the top, it's the best view in my opinion."

There are a lot more stairs than it looked. Trying not to drop a single popcorn is a challenge when he overfilled it like he did. After one, two, fifty stairs, they made it and finally sat down. Jeongin relaxed in a big sigh of relief. He and Minho stared at each other, not fully processing what just happened. 

They burst out laughing. 

"I can't believe I just did that," Minho puffed, throwing a single popcorn into his mouth. 

"Me either. Let them eat cake?" Jeongin started wheezing like a brewing tea kettle. "I don't even think you used that in the right context."

"There's a whole party going on out there. It's fitting."

Their timing was right on the dot. The lights in the room dimmed, and the movie screen started playing. The couple many rows in front of them giggled. And suddenly Minho remembered why he was here. He wasn't here to have a good time. He had to fulfill his role. "...That's them, isn't it?"

Jeongin nodded slowly. "I assume so, if we had missed the timing we would have to go finding them all over Seoul, probably. That's why it's important to go right away when you get the ticket."

"So now I have to..."

"Shoot the guy on the butt with an arrow? Yes."

"Do I have to do it right away? Like right away? I mean we could finish this movie first and—"

"Minho."

"What?"

Jeongin sighed. "If you want to avoid your mission until the last second, then that's fine. Every Cupid has their own way of doing things, and in the end all Cupids get it done. But more importantly, let me ask you something. Did you notice anything when we first entered this room?"

"When we first entered? Not much, why?"

"Think about it. What did you notice? What are you supposed to notice?"

"I noticed the movie screen. I noticed cushioned seats. A lot of available cushioned seats. Lots of rows. Almost no people. Except those two down there."

"Exactly. They're obviously on a date, right?"

"Yeah, I guess they are." Minho could see the boy and girl in the middle section of the rows adjusting their seats a bit so they sit closer. 

"Now," Jeongin spoke carefully. "Look closer, you need to confirm if you have the right Human."

"Closer?" 

Minho kept his eye on the two. Suddenly, the guy did one of those overused movie date things where he wraps his arm around his partner. And then— Oh. Oh! 

Now he could see it. The boy's finger. It has a string of fate tied around it in a complicated knot. The color is red. It's red, like his own hair. It's red, like the color of love. And it connects to his partner's finger, too. He couldn't see it before due to the angle, but now that he could it's a weird sight to see. But it's interesting. It's interesting to think that such a thing really and truly does exist in the world. The string floats in the air beautifully like a weightless feather. It's delicate, but it has the power to accomplish so much. It has its own journey and story to tell. 

"Do you see it?" Jeongin whispers to him, and it snaps Minho out of his thoughts. 

"Yeah, I see it. I really see it. It's... breathtaking."

"Good," Jeongin says. "Because I can't see it."

"What!?"

Jeongin flinches and covers his ear. "No need for yelling, I'm right next to you."

"Sorry, but what do you mean you can't see it? It's literally in front of you, how do you not see it?" Minho points at it for dramatic effect.

Jeongin sits back and relaxes in his chair. "Only people who are assigned on the mission can see it. Which means, from here until the mission finishes it's all up to you."

"It's all up to me? Right, because that isn't adding pressure," he sarcastically spoke. Now that he's actually here in person, he's having a lot of doubts. It all seems so unreal and hard to grasp. He begins to wonder if he will ever adapt to this kind of thing. "This is different from target practice! I would be aiming at a real person."

"Yeah, but it's not like it hurts. They don't even feel it. Trust me."

"Okay but... but," Minho was trying to think of an excuse. "I don't have my bow and arrows with me. Yup. I left them back at the warehouse. I knew I forgot something. I should go back and get them."

"No need to." Jeongin snapped his fingers, and suddenly Minho's golden bow and arrows appeared in his hand. "I took the liberty of storing them for you."

"What? Huh?" Minho swayed to the side harshly, almost dropping his popcorn. "How did you do that?"

"Magic, duh. We've gone over this. We're—"

"Cupids. I know, I know." Minho gulped. "But... but I want to watch the movie first. Is that okay? And then I can do my mission."

Jeongin narrowed his eyes at him, and without much a fight he drew his attention back to the movie screen. "Fair enough. I do appreciate a good romantic-comedy."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
> .  
> .  
> okay listen i know chan hasn't appeared yet i have self-awareness BUT THE STORY NEEDS BUILDUP ok 🙏 dont hurt me, hope you understand
> 
> bonus: this story might be longer than i thought ,


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